We fought to keep local shops. Supermarkets ruin the Environment we said. Now we all have them do they really?

Question

Do supermarkets really have a negative impact on the Natural Environment?

Or do we just have more choice, better products, cheaper prices?

Were we right to oppose them or just afraid of change?

Issues or not?
Percentage of goods flown in from abroad versus local grown produce?
Extremely low prices, from supermarkets at home and abroad leading to more intensive farming practices/mono cropping/exploitation/overconsumption?
Environmental costs of additional packaging goods need to travel distance as opposed to locally grown local shop produce?
Availability of more out of season products/worldwide products - food miles?
Cheaper meat/dairy, not paying true environmental costs leading to overconsumption?
Powerful big supermarkets buying green field sites and 'offering incentives to councils to allow planning permission'
Out of town shopping more environmental costs - transportation of goods and shoppers?
Local farmers if offered contract have to agree to yields, quality and deadlines. Much heavier machinery is needed. Whole crops go unsold because Supermarket rights to Veto when quality not high due to weather. Goods ripe, so rot wasted. Developers buy farms as not profitable.

Answer 1

Oh Bell, you're Englishness is showing. Here in America, in most places we didn't fight for local shops, and now all we have are huge supermarkets, and the majority of those are huge national or multinational chains like walmart.

Supermarkets that are part of the multinational system are bad for the environment in many ways. They create a huge footprint taking up alot of land. They are one centralized location that everyone has to drive to rather than numerous decentralized small shops scattered around a neighborhood. In the battle for low prices they often purchase goods that are from other countries and have to be shipped here. The places where they buy their goods often have relaxed environmental standards which cause them to emit more pollution for the same amount of goods that could be made here.

As prices are dropped artificially low for any array of items, people are influenced to be more wasteful and consumeristic.Many of the products that are sold are of low quality, break easily, and are not designed to be fixed.

Finally, the large supermarkets are often poorly designed. They have little to no windows, and rely heavily on electricity for heating, cooling, and light. A small local store could have been built, or retrofitted to take advantage of natural light and passive heating and cooling.

Answer 2

Background:

Residents of England’s smallest town are preparing to fight an application by Tesco to build a superstore that they say will destroy their town’s character and put local shops out of business.

The attack on the retailer’s plans for a 30,000 square foot store in Manningtree in Essex comes just days after the Competition Commission extended an investigation into supermarkets after it emerged that threatening emails were allegedly being used to bully farmers and suppliers into cutting prices.

Tesco now controls almost a third of the UK grocery market and one pound in every seven spent in all British shops goes through its tills.

Why is this really bad??? Because:
1) Tesco(and every American Super Chain) uses trucks to move goods rather than the English standard of shipping by rail.
2) Super Chains will outsource anywhere they need to to get the prices they demand. Local farmers want $5, Super Chain wants it for $4 and is willing to buy from China rather than meet the local prices.
3) Super Chains offer everything possible no matter what the environment cost
4) Super Chains rely heavily on heating, cooling, coolers and freezers.
5) Average trip to a Super Chain for produce can be up to 2 weeks. Average trip from a farm to the farmers market 2-3 hours. Which is going to be better nutritionally?
6) Large portions of the produce offered in Super Chains is grown in countries that do not have the same concern for health and safety as The UK and USA. Nor do they have the same environmental oversight. Is it okay to clear 250 acres of rainforest to grow tomatoes for an overseas Super Chain? Of course not! Do companies do that-yes they do.
7) Super Chains drive out competing businesses. Instead of being able to walk to a local shop, people have to drive to a huge store 10 or 15 miles away.
8) People in poorer areas of cities have no shops at all and must make long trips by transit to get fresh foods or live on what they can get at the local gas 'n go.

Bigger may be cheaper but as usual it is definitely not better.

Answer 3

The supermarkets and big box stores are part of a pattern of industrialization that is not sustainable. It makes no sense to dump billions of tons of pollutants in the air so we can fly or truck things around the world that can be produced or obtained locally.

I also think the U.S. is culturally poorer. You could blindfold someone and drop them in a strip mall anywhere in the country and if there weren't license plates on the cars in the parking lot, you wouldn't be able to tell if you were in Pennsylvania or Oregon. We are losing our local and individual identities and giving up the intimacy of community for the anonymity of the corporate chains. They are the Borg, and we are being assimilated!

Answer 4

you have 6 months so which you have a while to artwork on the persons who surpassed this regulation into existence. i'd talk to in spite of member of your city council that represents the section wherein your grandfather and optimistically 'Steve's' restore save. Being his parts they'd have an activity in helping or possibly enhancing or amending the regulation to get rid of their shops from the cumbersome measures required. you additionally can petition the mayor's place of work, your state assembly person, state senator and congressman. previous which you will pursue criminal counsel to undertaking the regulation and look at that it advance into surpassed with the prospect for voters to talk out against it and in spite of if it advance into there can nonetheless be a public listening to in case you may advance sufficient sentiment against it. If there's a Small company administration on your city they is additionally prepared to help and/or pursue some measures on your grandfather's behalf. there is likewise an threat to get the enforcement in the back of schedule or (no pun) have your grandfather's save spared by way of a 'grandfather clause' wherein latest shops are excused. I choose you success and be at liberty to jot down me in case you have any added questions.

Answer 5

I dont know how supermarket destroy environment. I think the fight is economical rather than environmental when opposing or supporting large corporate chains.

In the end consumers benefit with cheaper prices and better products.